Sue Rydering

So on Saturday I went to the Sue Ryder hospice sale in Oxfordshire whilst Chris was at work, a treasure trove as always.



I got the aformentioned apple ice0bucket, this complete dinner service & coffee set for £8 (which I then had to lug back to Brighton on the engineering works train journey from hell on Sunday), and loads of greatest hits albums like OMD, Roxy Music and Dolly Parton (is there something wrong with liking Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark?), also a book about crochet and some Johnny Cash records for Chris.



After that we went to the pub on the way back, which is mandatory usually, and met up with some other people we know. Sarah got annoyed because they covered her supposedly vegan food in cheese, and she had to send it back, and then they tried to do her out of the bread that was supposed to come with it. Ian's little boy, A. put that sticker on his head.



Then me & Sarah had a play on the swings. Muz on the left. Isn't Sarah's coat the best thing ever?



Whee!



A. is a little daredevil, his dad's got him doing gymnastics in the garden to use up his extra energy. Ian also told us about a girl in his daughter's class at pre-school who's got the same surname as them, but she's called Pelican and her brother's called Magic. PELICAN!

Last Weekend

Last weekend I was in Reading to see Chris.

On friday we ate at Wagamama, and then went to a gig at the Rising Sun. It was Ben, Jay, and the guy from the Inspiral Carpets who isn't Clint Boon. I can't say I'm an Inspiral Carpets fan, but the guy was brilliant. He also had a great anecdote about being beaten up by a Kiss tribute band.



Jay Newton



Ben Marwood



Inspiral Carpets guy whose name I'm not sure of, and Wikipedia isn't much of a help.

One of these things is not like the others

I went with Muz and Sarah L to the Sue Ryder sale in Oxon, last weekend. I got the big apple ice bucket, and she got the small apple and tomato. Here they are doing an identity parade on the grass- which one is not an apple, there's the poser.

Cakey Success!

The perfect vegan cupcake has always eluded me, I eat eggs so I've not made them regularly, and my attempts have always been lame and heavy on the banana. I tried 2 recipes with egg replacer, and they were foul. Isy Morgenmuffel gave me her tried and tested recipe, I changed it a bit with the things I always change (sugar substituion, extra vanilla etc) on cake recipes, and it was perfect.

Recipe-
preheat oven to 180.C

200g self-raising flour
50g caster sugar
50g unrefined sugar (gives a richer taste)
100ml oil
1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence
juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
150ml soya milk

1) Mix flour and sugar together
2) Add vanilla and mix well
3) Add oil and mix well
4) In a separate bowl add the lemon juice and bicarb to the soya milk and whisk. You will see bubbles
5) Mix the two halves and whisk well to incorporate lots of air
6) Put in baking cases and bake until golden

Thanks to Isy for the recipe!

Bramber & Steyning

Bramber's a small village inland of Shoreham, it's got one street with a couple of pubs and houses, a ruined Norman castle, and an intact Norman church (ie they're about 1000 years old)





Hello Mr Magpie, how's your wife = good luck







Very steep drops and secret paths from the castle mound. It made me think of the BBC tv versions of the Narnia books for some reason.

Shoreham

On Saturday I went out with my dad to have lunch out and a wander. We went to Shoreham, a small coastal town near Brighton, and Bramber, a village with a ruined castle. Here's Shoreham.



The sea is on the other side of those houses.







Look at its evil beady little eyes. I saw a seagull eating a rat the other day. I should start keeping a list of disgusting things I've seen seagulls eat
1) whole sparrow
2) rat
3) mouldy green bread

Brighton Aquarium

When Chris was down the other week we went to the aquarium because I had a half price voucher. I love aquariums, and I'm going again on Monday evening for a work thing.


(farming coral)











I really wanted to get a picture of this lionfish, but it was pretty difficult.



I never realised piranhas were glittery either.





I like the seasnake's expression



Reminds me of Dune (or as I put it to Chris when I couldn't remember the name - "that film where everyone lives in a desert in space and are magicians who do loads of drugs" he got it instantly) or Beetlejuice



Jellyfish are also hard to photograph









Chris oohing and ahhing over the turtles. I think he would've taken one home if he could.





More coral growing




UV fish

Charity Shopping with Tukru

On Sat I went down Rochester with Tukru to do some charity shopping. She got Ike & Tina Turner and Human League records, a unicorn colouring book for zine purposes (she's a big unicorn fan) and I convinced her to get some Agatha Christie books.

I got:
Tusk & Songs from a room on vinyl, 60s housecoat/dress (Marks & Sparks 100% Polyester, the finest fibre from the finest maker know to man), Agatha Christie books with great morbid covers (I'm all about the detective novels, Agatha Christie books are so reassuring, they're always the same) and a seriously weird Ladybird book with senteces like "the puppy wants to play with the trumpet" for zining purposes.